What's the worst thing anyone has said to you when trying to sell you something?

[ysette9]

Years ago I was looking a a VW bug, I took it for a test drive and when I returned I commented that it had a hard pull to the right, the owner commented, "that will keep you from a head on collision".

That is gold

[markbike528CBX]

Years ago I was looking a a VW bug, I took it for a test drive and when I returned I commented that it had a hard pull to the right, the owner commented, "that will keep you from a head on collision".

That is gold

Only true in right-hand drive countries.

[Tris Prior]

I've got a new one - we just returned from a vacation in Maui and somehow after a week there I let my protective urban armor slip and found myself plunked into a chair by a skincare saleswoman who'd been lying in wait along the main drag of the town we were staying in, having some sort of tightening serum applied to my admittedly very baggy, puffy, saggy, dark-circled undereyes. Which, I should note, I have had since birth, you can see them in my baby pix.

The saleswoman started out by exclaiming something like "OMG, you must be on so much medication if you are retaining fluid like this, do you take X, or Y, or Z..." (I'm not on anything other than birth control.) She proceeded to make various other negging comments about the sorry state of my undereyes, said I must not be taking care of my skin if they're that bad (at which point I noted that I'd had them since babyhood), and also threw in some pointed comments about my broken capillaries around my nose. And then quoted me SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS for a tube of whatever goop she was smearing on me.

I explained to her as politely as I could that no way was that in my budget, at which point she dropped the price to $500 and I said, NOPE, still not in my budget. To which she responded, "you know, it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, you will look good." What?

At that point I had the presence of mind to verge on rude with my "Sorry, NO!" and GTFO of her chair. I have no idea how I even ended up in it in the first place as my "NO, get away from me" response to people who insist on pushing things at me on the street is very well honed from city life. In my defense, I was kind of tipsy on large fruity drinks.

Yet another example of salespeople making women feel like shit about their physical appearance in order to sell product.

[Smokystache]

....  And then quoted me SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS for a tube of whatever goop she was smearing on me.

I explained to her as politely as I could that no way was that in my budget, at which point she dropped the price to $500 and I said, NOPE, still not in my budget. To which she responded, "you know, it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, you will look good." ...

I had a booth at a professional convention and they must not have sold out the booths or screened them because the one next to me was selling tubes of some under-eye cream. (This was weird because the convention had nothing to do with skin care or supplements ... think something like a tire convention and here's a skin care booth in the middle of 400 tire-related booths). I got to hear their shtick hundreds of times.  And the prices would go from $500 to $300 to $100 to $50 if you would just resist, but hang around. They sold more than I thought they would, but it was amazing and eye-opening to see the process.

[ysette9]

The thing is, if those creams really were magical and would fix my thises and my thats I probably would pay crazy amounts of money for it. But I’m not convinced they will do much of anything beyond hydrate my skinnier the drugstore face lotion does.

[auntie_betty]

I was trying to negotiate the price of a new car but couldn't pin them down, kept quoting me monthly prices over various terms. When I insisted on knowing the bottom line he said' don't worry your pretty head about that dearie, if it's too much a month we'll just do it over longer'. Eventually I grabbed his calculator and worked it out myself.

Unfortunately I was doing mystery shopping for his company. That report was a joy to write up. Had I been a normal customer I'd have been out of there like a shot.

In adverts the thing that really turns me off is 'This Season's Must Haves'. Guess what, I haven't needed to buy any of your previous 'must haves' and don't feel I've suffered as a result. 

[Loretta]

I was getting a haircut—a pixie at a Great Clips—and the hairstylist asked me how my boyfriend preferred my hair! 

Never went back. 

[Sibley]

I was getting a haircut—a pixie at a Great Clips—and the hairstylist asked me how my boyfriend preferred my hair! 

Never went back.

I had a boyfriend who preferred women to have long hair. He made the mistake of mentioning it more than once and I ripped into him, then made him shave his beard and grow out his hair to my preferred length (which he hated). I don't know if he learned his lesson, but he stopped saying anything at least.

[Kris]

I was getting a haircut—a pixie at a Great Clips—and the hairstylist asked me how my boyfriend preferred my hair! 

Never went back.

I had a boyfriend who preferred women to have long hair. He made the mistake of mentioning it more than once and I ripped into him, then made him shave his beard and grow out his hair to my preferred length (which he hated). I don't know if he learned his lesson, but he stopped saying anything at least.

Ha — nice!

[Tris Prior]

The thing is, if those creams really were magical and would fix my thises and my thats I probably would pay crazy amounts of money for it. But I’m not convinced they will do much of anything beyond hydrate my skinnier the drugstore face lotion does.

What kills me is that it DID actually work, if temporarily. It sort of tightened everything up, and stung and then feel like I imagine Botox might feel (I've never had Botox). Like, my undereyes felt a bit numb. Which was VERY disconcerting. But it did shrink swelling. Much like hemorrhoid cream. HAHAHAHA, what if that is what it actually was, repackaged with swanky branding?

The next morning I was back to my usual puffy gross self though.

I walked by there again later and overheard her dropping the price even more to someone else. Shit, I should've just kept sitting there, maybe I could've eventually gotten it for like $10?

[Smokystache]

The thing is, if those creams really were magical and would fix my thises and my thats I probably would pay crazy amounts of money for it. But I’m not convinced they will do much of anything beyond hydrate my skinnier the drugstore face lotion does.

What kills me is that it DID actually work, if temporarily. It sort of tightened everything up, and stung and then feel like I imagine Botox might feel (I've never had Botox). Like, my undereyes felt a bit numb. Which was VERY disconcerting. But it did shrink swelling. Much like hemorrhoid cream. HAHAHAHA, what if that is what it actually was, repackaged with swanky branding?

The next morning I was back to my usual puffy gross self though.

I walked by there again later and overheard her dropping the price even more to someone else. Shit, I should've just kept sitting there, maybe I could've eventually gotten it for like $10?

I thought their offer was a joke, but I was thoroughly impressed with the number of 60+ year old men they were able to sit in the chair and hold them hostage for 20+ minutes. Think your average 60 year old tire mechanic - not exactly what I think of as their target demo, but they could sure sell!

Part of it was that they were yelling at people all the way down the row (40 feet away). Had to finally go over and say, "If you yell at another person who is at MY table/booth, then I'll start calling to them when they are at your booth. He finally toned it down.

[markbike528CBX]

I was trying to negotiate the price of a new car but couldn't pin them down, kept quoting me monthly prices over various terms. When I insisted on knowing the bottom line he said' don't worry your pretty head about that dearie, if it's too much a month we'll just do it over longer'. Eventually I grabbed his calculator and worked it out myself.

Unfortunately I was doing mystery shopping for his company. That report was a joy to write up. Had I been a normal customer I'd have been out of there like a shot.

In adverts the thing that really turns me off is 'This Season's Must Haves'. Guess what, I haven't needed to buy any of your previous 'must haves' and don't feel I've suffered as a result.

I just loved the bolded above...not sure if that is good for my karma or not, but at this point, I don't care.  My karma points are nothing like the salesman's big negative karma points.
I can feel the burn over the Internet.
Please post a redacted version of your report, please?

@auntie_betty  did this take place before 1960? Even in movies from the early 60's it didn't seem THAT bad.

[OtherJen]

The thing is, if those creams really were magical and would fix my thises and my thats I probably would pay crazy amounts of money for it. But I’m not convinced they will do much of anything beyond hydrate my skinnier the drugstore face lotion does.

What kills me is that it DID actually work, if temporarily. It sort of tightened everything up, and stung and then feel like I imagine Botox might feel (I've never had Botox). Like, my undereyes felt a bit numb. Which was VERY disconcerting. But it did shrink swelling. Much like hemorrhoid cream. HAHAHAHA, what if that is what it actually was, repackaged with swanky branding?

The next morning I was back to my usual puffy gross self though.

I walked by there again later and overheard her dropping the price even more to someone else. Shit, I should've just kept sitting there, maybe I could've eventually gotten it for like $10?

It probably was hemorrhoid cream. My mom's former co-worker swore by Preparation H for puffy eyes.

[zinnie]

A salesperson at a car dealership once told me it was better to buy a new car and take out a loan (instead of a buying the used car I told him I was interested in) because "it's an investment."

I just looked at him, said "that's NOT how it works," and walked away.

(The mustachian win in all of this is that we never ended up replacing my car. And I can't say the ridiculousness of car salespeople wasn't one of the things that pushed us in that direction...)

[By the River]

A salesperson at a car dealership once told me it was better to buy a new car and take out a loan (instead of a buying the used car I told him I was interested in) because "it's an investment."

Reminds me of a local car dealer commercial playing now.  Basically, "invest your tax refund on a new car from _____ dealership"   That hurts two ways, its not an investment and why would anyone have that large of a tax refund anyway. 

[RWD]

A salesperson at a car dealership once told me it was better to buy a new car and take out a loan (instead of a buying the used car I told him I was interested in) because "it's an investment."

Reminds me of a local car dealer commercial playing now.  Basically, "invest your tax refund on a new car from _____ dealership"   That hurts two ways, its not an investment and why would anyone have that large of a tax refund anyway.

It doesn't take much of a refund to be enough for a down payments on a new car

[dignam]

I was getting a haircut—a pixie at a Great Clips—and the hairstylist asked me how my boyfriend preferred my hair! 

Never went back.

I had a boyfriend who preferred women to have long hair. He made the mistake of mentioning it more than once and I ripped into him, then made him shave his beard and grow out his hair to my preferred length (which he hated). I don't know if he learned his lesson, but he stopped saying anything at least.

Wait, maybe I'm missing something, but what is wrong with someone stating their preference of hair?  I mean, cut your hair however you want, it's his problem if he doesn't like it.  Same with his beard and hair length, no one is forcing you to like that either.  Preferences are preferences.

Thought of another one.  While negotiating price of car purchase, the salesman whipped out the tried 'n true 4 square routine.  I don't know how many times I told him I don't really care what the monthly payment is, I care about final price and my trade in value (bottom row of four square).  He asked me finally "does it really matter?  I'm trying to get you the lowest amount payment to make assist your monthly budget."  Oh that's so thoughtful of you! /sarcasm

[Sibley]

I was getting a haircut—a pixie at a Great Clips—and the hairstylist asked me how my boyfriend preferred my hair! 

Never went back.

I had a boyfriend who preferred women to have long hair. He made the mistake of mentioning it more than once and I ripped into him, then made him shave his beard and grow out his hair to my preferred length (which he hated). I don't know if he learned his lesson, but he stopped saying anything at least.

Wait, maybe I'm missing something, but what is wrong with someone stating their preference of hair?  I mean, cut your hair however you want, it's his problem if he doesn't like it.  Same with his beard and hair length, no one is forcing you to like that either.  Preferences are preferences.

Thought of another one.  While negotiating price of car purchase, the salesman whipped out the tried 'n true 4 square routine.  I don't know how many times I told him I don't really care what the monthly payment is, I care about final price and my trade in value (bottom row of four square).  He asked me finally "does it really matter?  I'm trying to get you the lowest amount payment to make assist your monthly budget."  Oh that's so thoughtful of you! /sarcasm

You're right, it's perfectly ok to have preferences. However, insinuating that your girlfriend isn't attractive because her hair is the wrong length isn't ok. There's a reason he's an ex.

[Just Joe]

Once upon a time we bought a new car. Our first and so far last new car.

I was concerned about fair pricing so we visited a half dozen different dealers for the brand we wanted to buy over the course of a couple of months. We weren't in a big rush to buy the new car b/c the old car was still getting the job done. Hindsight says we should have kept the old car and skipped the new car b/c the old car was in good shape despite its age and it only had 130K miles. On the other hand we've truly gotten our money's worth out of the new (now old) car with 300K+ miles, lots of light towing, trips to grandma's house, etc.

Every dealer was an adventure. There was the one that wanted to use our future new car as a demo car in exchange for a car wash. Nope. There was the one that wanted to argue that the manual transmission was not available, so pick from what's on the lot. There was the one that ran our credit w/o our permission. The one that heckled us out of the showroom when we balked at their payment only negotiation. The one that broke down into tears when the negotiations started with a fair price point from me - close to the ultimate price from another dealer. And the one with the hidden microphone that seemed always know what DW and I were whispering while he was out of the room. I've seen microphones and webcams twice in salesmen's offices now.

All this happened during the early days of the internet when it was hard to figure out what the invoice price was, what people had paid in our area, etc. Its why we welcomed Saturn flat-pricing, and later CarMax/Carvana.

The dealer negotiation grind sucks. In the end we walked into the final dealer, told them what we were gonna pay and that they had 20 minutes to make the numbers work. They did (+$200) and we took them a cashier's check the next day. That was the dealer that told us all about the amazing abilities of the cabin air filter to remove odors like skunks and pollution. We still joke about how we can smell skunks despite the cabin filter. That was also the dealer who reinstalled the dealer logo plate on the front without my permission after I removed it. I promptly went home and removed all their logos from the car. I've bought and sold 30+ cars in my time, and this one still rates as the worst vehicle purchase experience.

TLDR: dealers suck, and the purchase negotiation process sucks. Should use fair flat pricing.

[keepingfocus]

A few spring to mind:

Double glazing salesperson: "Are your parents home?" (age 25, homeowner. This one I forgave as I looked very young for my age at the time!)

Rep from Scottish Energy: "Is your husband home?" (age 37, homeowner, primary bill payer . That one got a lecture).

Sales assistant in computer store completely refusing to address me (the person who was there to make sure the actual buyer, my then bf's brother, didn't get ripped off). He didn't make a sale.

Tech company rep at a trade exhibition who presented to my two male colleagues and acted like I was invisible. No words for that one, it was so ridiculous and blatant that one of my colleagues pulled him up on it mid-flow and asked why he was ignoring the person who made the financial decisions (I didn't, but he wanted to make the point)

Then there was the timeshare sales pitch in Cancun that we went to purely for a free breakfast and free taxi ride to the part of town we wanted to spend the day in. As soon as they found out then bf was a student at the time they threw us out, despite me actually overqualifying financially for what they had on offer on my own. That one was just funny!

I also had to threaten calling the police on a (different) double glazing salesperson who refused to leave and was trying to bully me in to signing on the spot for a hideously overpriced 'deal'.

[Travis]

(litany of gender equality issues)

Not a sales story, but these stories of women being sidelined in financial matters reminds me of a friend of mine. She's chemistry professor at a university in Georgia. Not long after she got her PhD (late 90s) she was in a meeting where she was the only woman at the table. One of the men asked "little miss, can you get us some coffee?" Her response was "It's doctor and I'm not getting your fucking coffee!"  Bear in mind everyone at the table including the first guy knew she was a professor just like them, and by credentials outranked a couple of them.

And what is "double glazing?"

[JLee]

(litany of gender equality issues)

Not a sales story, but these stories of women being sidelined in financial matters reminds me of a friend of mine. She's chemistry professor at a university in Georgia. Not long after she got her PhD (late 90s) she was in a meeting where she was the only woman at the table. One of the men asked "little miss, can you get us some coffee?" Her response was "It's doctor and I'm not getting your fucking coffee!"  Bear in mind everyone at the table including the first guy knew she was a professor just like them, and by credentials outranked a couple of them.

And what is "double glazing?"

Windows.  Watch this, lol -- https://www.netflix.com/title/80191680

[AMandM]

And what is "double glazing?"

Windows.  Watch this, lol -- https://www.netflix.com/title/80191680

Specifically, windows with two layers of glass.

[ysette9]

Also know as «double paned windows” depending on where you live

[The Guru]

....  And then quoted me SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS for a tube of whatever goop she was smearing on me.

I explained to her as politely as I could that no way was that in my budget, at which point she dropped the price to $500 and I said, NOPE, still not in my budget. To which she responded, "you know, it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, you will look good." ...

I had a booth at a professional convention and they must not have sold out the booths or screened them because the one next to me was selling tubes of some under-eye cream. (This was weird because the convention had nothing to do with skin care or supplements ... think something like a tire convention and here's a skin care booth in the middle of 400 tire-related booths). I got to hear their shtick hundreds of times.  And the prices would go from $500 to $300 to $100 to $50 if you would just resist, but hang around. They sold more than I thought they would, but it was amazing and eye-opening to see the process.

They offered it for attendees who looked tired.

[Imma]

Just today, a contractor who did some work on my roof (but only after he finished the work) : by the way, who owns this place? So I replied, trying to keep a poker face, "I do!". The look on his face was incredulous. I don't even live in a big fancy place, just a small home, but there was no male in sight or even mentioned, how could this girl possibly own a home. I'm a business owner working from home today so I was wearing a black denim skirt, boots and a flannel shirt   (and actually I do have a male partner but he was at work and we agreed that I handle the roof damage).

I'm a woman about to turn 30, who called in a roofing company after mild storm damage to my roof, made an appointment and showed them the damage and he only inquired about the owner after he was done. Asking if I'm the homeowner is a valid question but I would have done that before fixing the roof...

[bacchi]

....  And then quoted me SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS for a tube of whatever goop she was smearing on me.

I explained to her as politely as I could that no way was that in my budget, at which point she dropped the price to $500 and I said, NOPE, still not in my budget. To which she responded, "you know, it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, you will look good." ...

I had a booth at a professional convention and they must not have sold out the booths or screened them because the one next to me was selling tubes of some under-eye cream. (This was weird because the convention had nothing to do with skin care or supplements ... think something like a tire convention and here's a skin care booth in the middle of 400 tire-related booths). I got to hear their shtick hundreds of times.  And the prices would go from $500 to $300 to $100 to $50 if you would just resist, but hang around. They sold more than I thought they would, but it was amazing and eye-opening to see the process.

They offered it for attendees who looked tired.

Ba dum tss!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9LqUnUvGIo

[Dave1442397]

Just today, a contractor who did some work on my roof (but only after he finished the work) : by the way, who owns this place? So I replied, trying to keep a poker face, "I do!".

You should have said "I have no idea! I'm just cat sitting. I hope they paid you!"

[MishMash]

Just today, a contractor who did some work on my roof (but only after he finished the work) : by the way, who owns this place? So I replied, trying to keep a poker face, "I do!". The look on his face was incredulous. I don't even live in a big fancy place, just a small home, but there was no male in sight or even mentioned, how could this girl possibly own a home. I'm a business owner working from home today so I was wearing a black denim skirt, boots and a flannel shirt   (and actually I do have a male partner but he was at work and we agreed that I handle the roof damage).

I'm a woman about to turn 30, who called in a roofing company after mild storm damage to my roof, made an appointment and showed them the damage and he only inquired about the owner after he was done. Asking if I'm the homeowner is a valid question but I would have done that before fixing the roof...

Ha similar story only worse, I was just married, 26 years old, just bought our first house and DH deployed like a month later.  Two days after he deploys we have a massive hail storm and the entire roof needs replacement.  Called in 6 companies for quotes.  First guy comes out, and is an older Russian gentleman.  He looks over everything sits down at my kitchen table and starts going over numbers.  I said OK, well I have other people coming out for quotes so just leave me a quote and I'll get back to you.  Reasonable right?

NOPE!  He starts upselling, saying I can get X roof for Y price and it's the best deal in town, BUT I have to sign the contract right then and there.  Red flag flying*** so I again said just leave a quote.  He got ENRAGED, refused to leave my house, told me "I'll sit right here until your husband comes home, then us MEN can do business."  I said like hell you will he's at work, and I handle every financial decision in this house.  He refused to believe that and said no man would let a woman handle his finances and refused to budge.  I said please get off my property immediately you will NOT be getting my business, or the business of anyone on this block I can assure you.  Still refused to leave and in fact got in my face pointing and yelling at me in Russian.  I leaned over  and said Sir, please leave the property immediately.  In case you are unaware we are in a stand your ground state and I assure you, despite appearances, that I am an excellent shot.  He almost broke the door on the way out. Scared the hell out of me let me tell you. 

I called the company and it turns out it was the owners father who was 'visiting' and 'filling in' they apologized but too late by that point. 

[ysette9]

Hot damn. Good for you for standing up for yourself like that!

[ambimammular]

What a creep!

[zolotiyeruki]

Several years ago, shortly after we moved, a guy came by to give us quotes for blinds in the house. When I told him we were only interested in buying the blinds and not the installation services, the salesman looked at me like I had spaghetti growing out of my hair. Clearly, he was skeptical about my skills. Seriously, though, blinds are trivial to install--it's literally four screws to attach the brackets to the wall.

[ice_beard]

I can't think of any personal sleazy salesperson stories, but I did have a friend who sold Kirby vacuum cleaners for a summer in college.  He made good money because he did not care who he sold one of these expensive vacuum cleaners to.  All he needed to do was get the signature on the line and he got paid.   

He told me about how he sold one to a woman who lived in a run down trailer who had about 6 square feet of carpet. 

[ysette9]

My mother got a Kirby back when I was a little kid and darned I’d that sucker is still going strong, over 30 years later. My sister has inherited it. The only problems she said she has now is that the thing is so darned old that it is hard to find replacement parts when they are needed.

[nereo]

"Imagine how this car will CHANGE your LIFE!!!"

Imagine... having LESS MONEY!!

Similar bad experiences buying cars as other posters here.  When I called and asked if a particular model in their inventory had a sunroof ("oh definitely!") and saw that it didn't they salesguy told me: "only chicks and faggots care about things like that".  Had the "Guess I know who wears the pants" comment when I wanted to talk things over with my spouse. And when I asked about high MPG cars and was shown some gas guzzling SUV there was a passive-aggressive (I kid you not) about how a vehicle's horsepower reflects their owners... prowess in bed.  Buy the Mustang to show the world you can have sex like a stallion!!

Thank god I only buy a car every decade or so, and the last one came from a no-haggle family member (best deal I've ever got).

[six-car-habit]

I can't think of any personal sleazy salesperson stories, but I did have a friend who sold Kirby vacuum cleaners for a summer in college.  He made good money because he did not care who he sold one of these expensive vacuum cleaners to.  All he needed to do was get the signature on the line and he got paid.   

He told me about how he sold one to a woman who lived in a run down trailer who had about 6 square feet of carpet.

 That friend probably used the kirby on her mattress, and pulled out a square inch of old dust and skin to close the deal.....

[Dancin'Dog]

Just today, a contractor who did some work on my roof (but only after he finished the work) : by the way, who owns this place? So I replied, trying to keep a poker face, "I do!". The look on his face was incredulous. I don't even live in a big fancy place, just a small home, but there was no male in sight or even mentioned, how could this girl possibly own a home. I'm a business owner working from home today so I was wearing a black denim skirt, boots and a flannel shirt   (and actually I do have a male partner but he was at work and we agreed that I handle the roof damage).

I'm a woman about to turn 30, who called in a roofing company after mild storm damage to my roof, made an appointment and showed them the damage and he only inquired about the owner after he was done. Asking if I'm the homeowner is a valid question but I would have done that before fixing the roof...

Ha similar story only worse, I was just married, 26 years old, just bought our first house and DH deployed like a month later.  Two days after he deploys we have a massive hail storm and the entire roof needs replacement.  Called in 6 companies for quotes.  First guy comes out, and is an older Russian gentleman.  He looks over everything sits down at my kitchen table and starts going over numbers.  I said OK, well I have other people coming out for quotes so just leave me a quote and I'll get back to you.  Reasonable right?

NOPE!  He starts upselling, saying I can get X roof for Y price and it's the best deal in town, BUT I have to sign the contract right then and there.  Red flag flying*** so I again said just leave a quote.  He got ENRAGED, refused to leave my house, told me "I'll sit right here until your husband comes home, then us MEN can do business."  I said like hell you will he's at work, and I handle every financial decision in this house.  He refused to believe that and said no man would let a woman handle his finances and refused to budge.  I said please get off my property immediately you will NOT be getting my business, or the business of anyone on this block I can assure you.  Still refused to leave and in fact got in my face pointing and yelling at me in Russian.  I leaned over  and said Sir, please leave the property immediately.  In case you are unaware we are in a stand your ground state and I assure you, despite appearances, that I am an excellent shot.  He almost broke the door on the way out. Scared the hell out of me let me tell you. 

I called the company and it turns out it was the owners father who was 'visiting' and 'filling in' they apologized but too late by that point.

Great story.  Would'a been even better if you'd fired off a shot.  :)

[ender]

"Imagine how this car will CHANGE your LIFE!!!"

Imagine... having LESS MONEY!!

Similar bad experiences buying cars as other posters here.  When I called and asked if a particular model in their inventory had a sunroof ("oh definitely!") and saw that it didn't they salesguy told me: "only chicks and faggots care about things like that".  Had the "Guess I know who wears the pants" comment when I wanted to talk things over with my spouse. And when I asked about high MPG cars and was shown some gas guzzling SUV there was a passive-aggressive (I kid you not) about how a vehicle's horsepower reflects their owners... prowess in bed.  Buy the Mustang to show the world you can have sex like a stallion!!

Thank god I only buy a car every decade or so, and the last one came from a no-haggle family member (best deal I've ever got).

One advantage to buying a new vehicle is you basically can order it like on Amazon. We realized newer vehicles of the car we wanted didn't depreciate meaningfully enough to make buying used an auto decision. So we found a new one.

Called the cheapest dealer nearby, got them to send paperwork, put down a deposit and the car showed up a few days later.

[MishMash]

Just today, a contractor who did some work on my roof (but only after he finished the work) : by the way, who owns this place? So I replied, trying to keep a poker face, "I do!". The look on his face was incredulous. I don't even live in a big fancy place, just a small home, but there was no male in sight or even mentioned, how could this girl possibly own a home. I'm a business owner working from home today so I was wearing a black denim skirt, boots and a flannel shirt   (and actually I do have a male partner but he was at work and we agreed that I handle the roof damage).

I'm a woman about to turn 30, who called in a roofing company after mild storm damage to my roof, made an appointment and showed them the damage and he only inquired about the owner after he was done. Asking if I'm the homeowner is a valid question but I would have done that before fixing the roof...

Ha similar story only worse, I was just married, 26 years old, just bought our first house and DH deployed like a month later.  Two days after he deploys we have a massive hail storm and the entire roof needs replacement.  Called in 6 companies for quotes.  First guy comes out, and is an older Russian gentleman.  He looks over everything sits down at my kitchen table and starts going over numbers.  I said OK, well I have other people coming out for quotes so just leave me a quote and I'll get back to you.  Reasonable right?

NOPE!  He starts upselling, saying I can get X roof for Y price and it's the best deal in town, BUT I have to sign the contract right then and there.  Red flag flying*** so I again said just leave a quote.  He got ENRAGED, refused to leave my house, told me "I'll sit right here until your husband comes home, then us MEN can do business."  I said like hell you will he's at work, and I handle every financial decision in this house.  He refused to believe that and said no man would let a woman handle his finances and refused to budge.  I said please get off my property immediately you will NOT be getting my business, or the business of anyone on this block I can assure you.  Still refused to leave and in fact got in my face pointing and yelling at me in Russian.  I leaned over  and said Sir, please leave the property immediately.  In case you are unaware we are in a stand your ground state and I assure you, despite appearances, that I am an excellent shot.  He almost broke the door on the way out. Scared the hell out of me let me tell you. 

I called the company and it turns out it was the owners father who was 'visiting' and 'filling in' they apologized but too late by that point.

Great story.  Would'a been even better if you'd fired off a shot.  :)

I might be a crazy girl from Jersey, but I'm not THAT crazy unless he laid his hands on me.  But the true fact is everything was locked up in the gun safe at the time.  Learned my lesson that day though. 

[nereo]

"Imagine how this car will CHANGE your LIFE!!!"

Imagine... having LESS MONEY!!

Similar bad experiences buying cars as other posters here.  When I called and asked if a particular model in their inventory had a sunroof ("oh definitely!") and saw that it didn't they salesguy told me: "only chicks and faggots care about things like that".  Had the "Guess I know who wears the pants" comment when I wanted to talk things over with my spouse. And when I asked about high MPG cars and was shown some gas guzzling SUV there was a passive-aggressive (I kid you not) about how a vehicle's horsepower reflects their owners... prowess in bed.  Buy the Mustang to show the world you can have sex like a stallion!!

Thank god I only buy a car every decade or so, and the last one came from a no-haggle family member (best deal I've ever got).

One advantage to buying a new vehicle is you basically can order it like on Amazon. We realized newer vehicles of the car we wanted didn't depreciate meaningfully enough to make buying used an auto decision. So we found a new one.

Called the cheapest dealer nearby, got them to send paperwork, put down a deposit and the car showed up a few days later.

interesting (and contrarian) point.
My biggest issue with purchasing new cars beyond depreciation is not having any data on the reliability of that model-year.  Cars that start out getting great reviews sometimes wind up in then "do not buy" category several years later or (worse) in the frequent safety recall bin.  Others avoid this fate.  To me it seems random and unpredictable.

That's why I like cars that are 6-8 years old but have low mileage (for their age).  By that point there's tons of repair data from the more heavy users, and I can still drive the car for a decade+.

[mm1970]

I was getting a haircut—a pixie at a Great Clips—and the hairstylist asked me how my boyfriend preferred my hair! 

Never went back.

I had a boyfriend who preferred women to have long hair. He made the mistake of mentioning it more than once and I ripped into him, then made him shave his beard and grow out his hair to my preferred length (which he hated). I don't know if he learned his lesson, but he stopped saying anything at least.

I had a boyfriend who really loved long hair.  He mentioned to me once, while on vacation I think, how much he loved that my hair was getting longer.

His prior girlfriend's hair was almost to her butt.

I basically immediately went off and got a short (SHORT) bob.  As in, last couple of inches near the neck shaved down with the trimmer short.

[nereo]

I was getting a haircut—a pixie at a Great Clips—and the hairstylist asked me how my boyfriend preferred my hair! 

Never went back.

I had a boyfriend who preferred women to have long hair. He made the mistake of mentioning it more than once and I ripped into him, then made him shave his beard and grow out his hair to my preferred length (which he hated). I don't know if he learned his lesson, but he stopped saying anything at least.

I had a boyfriend who really loved long hair.  He mentioned to me once, while on vacation I think, how much he loved that my hair was getting longer.

His prior girlfriend's hair was almost to her butt.

I basically immediately went off and got a short (SHORT) bob.  As in, last couple of inches near the neck shaved down with the trimmer short.

You cut your own hair to spite your boyfriend? 
I don’t get it.

[mm1970]

A salesperson at a car dealership once told me it was better to buy a new car and take out a loan (instead of a buying the used car I told him I was interested in) because "it's an investment."

I just looked at him, said "that's NOT how it works," and walked away.

(The mustachian win in all of this is that we never ended up replacing my car. And I can't say the ridiculousness of car salespeople wasn't one of the things that pushed us in that direction...)

I just got into an argument with a couple of people who INSIST I need to add on to my house, because it will pay me back!  It's an investment!

Now, I know that people invest in real estate.  And they sometimes make a killing.  But I'm not one of them.

This is my home.
It's small. 
It has 1 bathroom and 2 bedrooms.
It's on an approx 5000sf lot.
It has no garage, no basement, no attic.
It has an 8-10' wide, 100ft long driveway that goes to someone else's house.  So let's call it a usable 4000sf lot.

It is the bottom of the SFH market.
It was built in the mid 1940s.
Going "up" would cost AT LEAST $400,000.  Far too much structural work to be done on the foundation to make that work for anything less. 
It would NOT be a $1.3M house by the time that is done.  I mean still: no garage.

Thing is, we've probably put $75,000 into the house already (over 15 years - roof, windows, insulation, paint, sewer lateral, backyard, floor refinishing, new kitchen done by spouse), and it's worth about $72k more than we paid for it.

There is literally no reason to add on to my house EXCEPT for that fact that I'd do almost anything for a second bathroom.  Except, apparently, call an architect.

[mm1970]

I was getting a haircut—a pixie at a Great Clips—and the hairstylist asked me how my boyfriend preferred my hair! 

Never went back.

I had a boyfriend who preferred women to have long hair. He made the mistake of mentioning it more than once and I ripped into him, then made him shave his beard and grow out his hair to my preferred length (which he hated). I don't know if he learned his lesson, but he stopped saying anything at least.

I had a boyfriend who really loved long hair.  He mentioned to me once, while on vacation I think, how much he loved that my hair was getting longer.

His prior girlfriend's hair was almost to her butt.

I basically immediately went off and got a short (SHORT) bob.  As in, last couple of inches near the neck shaved down with the trimmer short.

You cut your own hair to spite your boyfriend? 
I don’t get it.

I'm pretty strong, and opinionated.

I like my hair short.  I did back then, I do now.  It feels good on me. 

I also don't like it when people tell me they want me to change who I am.  So yes, a bit of it was spite, but I wouldn't have done it had I liked long hair.


Ask my husband (not the long ago boyfriend), how it went over when we were on vacation with his family and his sister started BADGERING me about the fact that I was 32 and didn't have children yet.  Husband called her up when we got home: "if you haven't figured it out by now, badgering my wife to do something that SHE DOESN'T WANT TO DO is a sure way of making everything worse.  KNOCK IT OFF."

[nereo]

I was getting a haircut—a pixie at a Great Clips—and the hairstylist asked me how my boyfriend preferred my hair! 

Never went back.

I had a boyfriend who preferred women to have long hair. He made the mistake of mentioning it more than once and I ripped into him, then made him shave his beard and grow out his hair to my preferred length (which he hated). I don't know if he learned his lesson, but he stopped saying anything at least.

I had a boyfriend who really loved long hair.  He mentioned to me once, while on vacation I think, how much he loved that my hair was getting longer.

His prior girlfriend's hair was almost to her butt.

I basically immediately went off and got a short (SHORT) bob.  As in, last couple of inches near the neck shaved down with the trimmer short.

You cut your own hair to spite your boyfriend? 
I don’t get it.

I'm pretty strong, and opinionated.

I like my hair short.  I did back then, I do now.  It feels good on me. 

I also don't like it when people tell me they want me to change who I am.  So yes, a bit of it was spite, but I wouldn't have done it had I liked long hair.


Ask my husband (not the long ago boyfriend), how it went over when we were on vacation with his family and his sister started BADGERING me about the fact that I was 32 and didn't have children yet.  Husband called her up when we got home: "if you haven't figured it out by now, badgering my wife to do something that SHE DOESN'T WANT TO DO is a sure way of making everything worse.  KNOCK IT OFF."

Ok. fwiw I hate when people tell me what I should go too and am unlikely to do something I don’t wAnt just for someone else. My misunderstanding was that you had long hair (presumably because you wanted it that way) but cut it when you found out your boyfriend liked it. That was what seemed strange.

[Dave1442397]

There is literally no reason to add on to my house EXCEPT for that fact that I'd do almost anything for a second bathroom.  Except, apparently, call an architect.

You could park one of these out back :)

https://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/fangdamagichouse/product-detailtCNJGbflaDkP/China-Modular-Prefabricated-Temporary-Luxury-Porta-Potty-Mobile-Toilet-Trailer-for-Sale.html

[mm1970]

There is literally no reason to add on to my house EXCEPT for that fact that I'd do almost anything for a second bathroom.  Except, apparently, call an architect.

You could park one of these out back :)

https://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/fangdamagichouse/product-detailtCNJGbflaDkP/China-Modular-Prefabricated-Temporary-Luxury-Porta-Potty-Mobile-Toilet-Trailer-for-Sale.html

Hmm...8 feet by 4 feet, if I'm reading it right...I'm not sure we have space in the back, but we could put it in the front yard, ha!  Just a shed folks...

[ysette9]

My husband has expressed a couple of times in the eternity that we have been together that he liked my hair when it was long. Honestly, so did I and I’d like to grow it out again at some point. But as I remind him,
I’ve lost so much hair after having his babies that it would look like crap long now. Sorry, dude!

[Just Joe]

There is literally no reason to add on to my house EXCEPT for that fact that I'd do almost anything for a second bathroom.  Except, apparently, call an architect.

You could park one of these out back :)

https://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/fangdamagichouse/product-detailtCNJGbflaDkP/China-Modular-Prefabricated-Temporary-Luxury-Porta-Potty-Mobile-Toilet-Trailer-for-Sale.html

Hmm...8 feet by 4 feet, if I'm reading it right...I'm not sure we have space in the back, but we could put it in the front yard, ha!  Just a shed folks...

Be sure to chain it to a tree so no one steals your guest bathroom... Now that would be an interesting report to file...

[nereo]

There is literally no reason to add on to my house EXCEPT for that fact that I'd do almost anything for a second bathroom.  Except, apparently, call an architect.

You could park one of these out back :)

https://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/fangdamagichouse/product-detailtCNJGbflaDkP/China-Modular-Prefabricated-Temporary-Luxury-Porta-Potty-Mobile-Toilet-Trailer-for-Sale.html

Hmm...8 feet by 4 feet, if I'm reading it right...I'm not sure we have space in the back, but we could put it in the front yard, ha!  Just a shed folks...

Be sure to chain it to a tree so no one steals your guest bathroom... Now that would be an interesting report to file...

Yeah, it would be really crappy.